Friday, October 30, 2015

Some cuckoos suited down to the ground

Seems the current dryness suits Brush Cuckoos (Cacomantis variolosus) down to the ground.

Early mornings in Tyto and elsewhere have been full of their shrill, sometimes frenzied calls. But it's gone a bit quieter lately with more attention to feeding than breeding.

Much quieter always is the Little Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites minutillus). This female is the real deal and nothing like the super-bronze Goulds, lumped with it - for now anyway.

Also quieter, but plaintively so, is the Pallid Cuckoo (Cacomantis pallidus). Immature bird thought safety lay on the ground. Ran through the grass before realising error. Good thing chaser was clumsy old boy and not swift cat or dog. Not all situations suit cuckoos down to the ground.